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Another report of abuse by police at G20

Cyclist beaten and had rights trampled.


 

My name is (name withheld for security), age (**) and life long resident of Toronto, Canada. I was attacked and held illegally by Toronto Police in the “g20 jail” on Sunday June 27th, 2010.  I was riding in a special critical mass of cyclists, there was 600 cylists riding in group to take the media spotlight away from the property damage done to the city core the day before.

The bike ride was peaceful and no street laws where broken. The mass ride was riding along Yorkville and this is where I was attacked. A police cyclist blocked my path directly in front of me; another police cyclist struck me in the face, hitting my teeth with his fist. Another police cyclist threw his bicycle into mine causing me to fall to the ground. The squad of five police officers threw me onto the fallen police bike, pushing me down onto the bicycle and beat me in the face and the groin. The officer that struck me first held my knees open as another hit me repeatedly in the groin. I was then turned on to my stomach and my face was smashed into the street repeatedly, leaving a pool of blood. This all happened without any notification by the police officers as to what crime I committed or why they were attacking me. As the beatings continued I repeated in a strong voice, “I am not resisting.”

I was now on my stomach with my arms restrained behind my back with my face being
pushed into the street under the knee of another police officer. A large group of police
set up a line of police bikes to stop onlookers from getting a clear view on what was
taking place. The police threatened the witnesses with arrest under the charge of
obstruction of justice. As the beatings continued the officers repeatedly kneed me in the
head, lower and upper back. There is heavy bruising around my right shoulder, cuts and
bruises on my right knee and right elbow and my chin has a large cut that likely needed
stitches. As I was being beaten, I cried out in extreme pain, “Stop the insanity.”
I was removed from the street, dragged into the near by parking structure on Yorkville
Avenue . The arresting officers’ number was 8114, and his commanding officer was Sgt.
Hicks. All other officers on site had no visible badge number and would not identify
themselves. The police told everyone in the parking structure to leave or face arrest
under the charge of obstruction of justice. They then spoke about taking me into a
corner without any cameras. I was barely conscious as the beatings continued against
the wall of the parking building. They threatened to beat me if i did not remain silent, i
repeated one thing, “I am complying”.

The officers then read me my rights and told me I was under arrest for inciting. All I
could think about was my handcuffs, I could not move or feel my hands. I asked them
repeatedly to loosen my handcuffs. Finally after thirty minutes of the police pushing my
head into the wall, Sergeant Hicks ordered them to loosen my handcuffs. I was indebted
to his mercy.

I was sent to the G20 jail site on Eastern Avenue and Pape. I arrived at the makeshift
jail at 2pm, and I left by midnight. All charges dropped, no explanation given. I was let
go under a verbal promise not to go to a protest again. I am now in fear for my life, I live
in this city, I am active in the public life and workings of the city. I fear for they will pick me up and bring me back to the detention center at anytime.

G20 Detention center on Eastern Avenue. I was brought to the detention center at 2pm, I left at 12am, my life would change between those ten hours. I was the first to be placed in one of ten holding cells. The holding cells where in a giant studio space with extremely filthy floors.

Vomit and piss where present everywhere. The holding cell was ten feet wide and four feet deep. There was a latrine in every holding cell, the latrine was full to the point where it was overflowing onto the cells floor. I was the first to be brought into the holding cell. By the end of the day 25 people where being held in that cell, and all of us were handcuffed for the entire duration of our stay, other people in other cells told us they have been there for more than thirty hours. The cells became overcrowded to a point where people where handcuffed to the floor outside the cells.

I was beaten bad by the police, I asked for a medic and was laughed at by every police guard on duty. They told me there where more people hurt in worse ways then me. Not one medic was ever seen and no one that I knew of received any medical attention. Of the 25 people in my cell, half where not protesters, two needed medications that they never received and myself with open wounds and a handcuffed, bruised arm and shoulder. We where given a two day old stale cheese and butter sandwich, and given a small cup of water every five hours. The police guards had a unlimited supply of apples, bottled water, roast beef sandwiches and chocolate covered strawberries that they were eating in front of our cells. Some cell mates where so desperate for food they eat the thrown away apple cores left on my the cell wall. No one in the entire holding facility got a phone call to the outside world. I have two friends that have yet to be seen or heard from for over three days.

As I was let out, the officer escorting me got lost, thereby taking me through most of the detention facility. No one person had received a phone call, and the people that have specific charges laid against them were being held in one person cells that do not have enough space to lie down. As I walked past their cages, i saw the look of fear, anxiety and the loss of hope that can only be seen thorough the fear for losing ones life.

I now live under the fear that the Toronto police will raid my home and take me away to the dentition center again. I fear I have gotten away with my freedom and they will take it back at anytime.
Please help."

 

June 28th 2010
-Name redacted for security.
 


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Dan Kellar (Dan Kellar)
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Member since July 2009

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friendly neighbourhood anarchist, rad dad, land defence enthusiast, decolonial digger, radio pirate, indy journalist, systems geographer. noline9wr.ca chippewassolidarity.org

1104 words

Comments

to add... some people did in

to add... some people did in fact recieve medical attention.  one street-involved man in my cell had broken ribs and got to see a doctor after 6 hours or so, another one waited 4 hours for insulin (gluten allergy so could not eat the shitty sandwhich), a third was left without any access to needed anti-psycotic meds, it was a good thing he knew how to meditate...

 

ACAB

I don't understand how any

I don't understand how any human being can torture people like this and not feel bad about it. They must be seriously dehumanized in their.

I know police officers have a special ability to repress their emotions, and that's why they're so good at their job. But I see no empathy here. Does anyone know if there are any cops speaking out about this?

I am glad the prisoners at least had friends in there who were able to show regular human emotions, and I'm glad there were folks outside to serve and protect the prisoners as they were freed.

I am afraid to go near cops now, and I don't think I am the only one. I was riding my bike and one said : "We are going to catch every fucking one of you" as he videotaped us. For goodness sake I am a scrawny shy little kid who was not even talking and just minding my own business riding my bike.

They remind me of jocks in high school who somehow get off by pushing people around. I thought someone would at least teach these thugs how to be professional about it.

I'm glad you're safe and hope your friends will also be safely released too. Best of luck to all who are still waiting for their friends to be released and I'll be joining the fight for a public inquiry.

Peace

 

 

 

Peace and justice

I don't understand how any human being can torture people like this and not feel bad about it. They must be seriously dehumanized in their.

I know police officers have a special ability to repress their emotions, and that's why they're so good at their job. But I see no empathy here. Does anyone know if there are any cops speaking out about this?

I am glad the prisoners at least had friends in there who were able to show regular human emotions, and I'm glad there were folks outside to serve and protect the prisoners as they were freed.

I am afraid to go near cops now, and I don't think I am the only one. I was riding my bike and one said : "We are going to catch every fucking one of you" as he videotaped us. For goodness sake I am a scrawny shy little kid who was not even talking and just minding my own business riding my bike.

They remind me of jocks in high school who somehow get off by pushing people around. I thought someone would at least teach these thugs how to be professional about it.

I'm glad you're safe and hope your friends will also be safely released too. Best of luck to all who are still waiting for their friends to be released and I'll be joining the fight for a public inquiry. 

 

If you are in holding you can

If you are in holding you can demand a tuna sandwhich if you can't eat the cheese one for some reason; but they usually try not to give these to people unless you ask for it for some reason. Not that that helps much now, from what the person describes here they must have cleaned up before the media show.

witnessed

I witnessed your violent and sudden attack and I am still traumatised by what I saw and I wont forget it anytime soon.
There was no way for me to get pictures or video of this because they swarmed arround you to block the view and it looked like a dog pile within seconds, the police were all over you and were surrounded by police on bikes. I did see them wrenching you off of your bike and smashing you to the ground with EXTREME force and you wouldnt have had half a second to comply or resist it was that fast and brutal. It was terrifying and unexpected considering the honestly peacefull nature of the protest. People were ringing bike bells and riding at a gentle pace and then this out of nowhere. There were alot of people watching from the pub ans some appeared to be filming/taking pics with their cell phones so maybe some images will surface at some point and some legal action can be taken.
I am now also fearfull in my own city and am skeptical of police when I see them...and I am not even an activist!
It is impossible to forget what we saw first hand that day and I am really heart broken that Toronto will never feel the same for me again. It's probably also hard on alot of our better local police knowing these things kinds of incidents have occured and that previously good relationships with our communities will undoubtedly be affected. Alot of non participating/non protesting Torontonians were harrased and intimidated this weekend as well and you cant undo these experiences no matter how much PR and spinning you do.
I hope you are well and dont allow this experience to diminish your spirit. You should be proud that you chose such a peacefull way to protest and please do continue biking!

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